Page 22 of Hunny and the Bear

“What do you mean, you need more wood?” Hunny asked, her soft voice thick with emotion. She lifted her head from his chest, staring up at him with tears glittering in her emerald eyes. His heart slammed into his sternum at that one look. How could she look so beautiful, even when she was so sad? “What does that have to do with anything, Henry?”

Tank flushed at the question. He hadn’t intended to mention anything to her about his plans, not until he knew if she wanted to stay with his clan for any length of time. He didn’t want to pressure her into an answer if she wasn’t ready to give one.

“Tank’s building you a bedroom and bathroom downstairs,” Jasper supplied with a grin, clearly under no qualms about keeping his fucking mouth shut. “He asked for my help to get it all ready so you won’t have to sleep on the couch anymore.”

Hunny’s eyes widened in surprise, her mouth gaping open as she stared up at Tank. “You want to build me a room?”

“Only if you want to stay,” he answered gruffly. “I’d like for you to, though. Stay, I mean. I’d like for you to stay with me.” Christ, could he have been any more awkward?

“Are you sure, Henry? My life is a freaking mess—”

“That’s alright,” he interrupted quickly, his excitement building as he realized she was on the verge of saying yes.

“—and I’m pregnant,” she sputtered. “I’d be intruding on your entire life.”

He shook his head in denial. “No, you won’t.”

Hunny wrinkled her nose, the action reminding him of her rabbit counterpart. “You say that now, but we’ve only known each other for two days.Barely.And in that time I’ve hadtwocrying sessions. And a panic attack. It’s only going to get worse, Henry. You’re going to get sick of me.”

“No, I won’t.” He let out a small, rusty laugh. If that was going to happen, he was confident it would have by now. Usually engaging with others felt like a chore or obligation, but with Hunny it was neither. Even though she was vivacious and sassy, she didn’t grate on his nerves like anyone else would have. He liked her attitude and her bubbly personality. It was a direct contrast from himself, and frankly, she was like a breath of fresh air.

“What if you meet someone, though?” Hunny argued. “Having a pregnant roommate probably won’t look good for anyone you want to date.”

Tank scoffed, completely taken aback by her line of thinking. Finding a female to date hadn’t crossed his mind since he was an adolescent. Sure, he’d slept around when an itch needed scratching, but those occasions were few and far between. And he wouldn’t exactly callthatdating.

“Are those your only concerns? That you think you’ll ruin my dating life?” Jasper snorted in the background, but Tank ignored him, continuing seamlessly, “And that your life is a mess?”

“You don’t even know me!” Hunny exclaimed. “I could be a complete psychopath.”

His brows shot up. “Are you?”

“Of course not,” she huffed.

“Then what’s really the matter, little rabbit? What’s got you running scared?”

Why was she putting up such a fight? From all their time spent together, he hadn’t sensed a moment where she seemed homesick or anxious to leave. She could have disappeared that first night while he’d slept. Instead, she’d stayed.

There was a reason she hadn’t left; he believed that wholeheartedly. And since the cat was out of the bag regarding his intentions, he planned on getting the truth out of her now.

Hunny bit her lower lip, and his eyes lowered to her plump mouth, their conversation taking a backseat to this sudden distraction. He wanted to bite that lip, to feel her soft skin between his teeth as he—

“I’m also not a part of your clan,” she murmured. “What if Murphy doesn’t want me?”

For a moment, Tank was confused, and the thought of Hunny belonging to Murphy in any fashion filled him with an unnatural fury, stronger than he’d ever felt before. His bear roared in his mind, the thought of challenging his brother for the little rabbit consuming him.

“Henry?” Hunny asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. She reached up, touching his cheek with her palm. It grounded him, and as suddenly as his need to disembowel his brother had hit him, it faded just as quickly. “Are you alright?”

“What?” he growled, and then he shook his head to clear it. “I’m fine. What did you ask me?”

“Murphy wants to talk to me, but what if he doesn’t want me to stay in your territory?”

Oh,thatwas what she meant.Thank fuck.“Why would he want you to leave? Is there something that you’re worried about?”

She looked away from him, dropping her hands to her side. “I … He was right about me being a lone shifter. I’m worried that will be a deciding factor in wanting me off his territory.”

Tank let out a relieved breath, holding her closer to him. “I’ll talk to him. Or we can talk to him together. He’s a reasonable male.”

“I’ll talk with him, too, as I said earlier, dear.” Tabitha smiled at them both. “Being a lone shifter changes nothing in my eyes, and I’m sure with a bit of motivation, Murphy will feel the same way.”

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